Elijah Burke on his WWE departure

Former WWE superstar & the Leader Of ECW’s “New Breed,” Elijah Burke, was one the special guests on Monday Night Mayhem’s Seven-Year Anniversary Special (02/09/09), hosted by The Big Mosh & Blade. You can feel The Mayhem live & in streaming audio every Monday night (at 8PM ET/7PM CT), exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.ITunes.com, www.AudioWrestling.com, & www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem).

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Elijah’s first-ever MNM appearance is now available for free in Windows Streaming Media, or via the official Monday Night Mayhem Podcast On ITunes:

Besides Elijah’s first post-WWE comments to The Mayhem, get ready for the best & most-diverse lineup of the entire year, which featured a look back at some of the best moments & memories in The Mayhem’s seven years on the air, some surprise call-in’s from the best guests in MNM history (including: Eric Bischoff, Jason Hervey, Konnan, Chavo “Classic” Guerrero Sr., Matt Morgan, & former WWE Head Of Security, Jimmy Noonan), plus so much more!

Here are some of the highlights of Elijah’s interview on the show, provided by The Mayhem’s correspondent, Dan Kriegbaum:

The Big Mosh & Blade welcomed Elijah to the program for his first interview since being released from World Wrestling Entertainment. Elijah started out by saying that it was great to be on & gave a shout out to his most loyal fans (his “congregation”), as well as the rest of The Mayhem Nation listening around the globe. Elijah went on to say that it was the seventh anniversary of Monday Night Mayhem & told the hosts to kick off the interview.

Mosh started things off by saying how he personally thought Elijah would be the future of the WWE when he debuted in 2006, stating that he thought he would hold a championship within two-three years. Mosh also added that he believes Elijah should still be on the current roster, competing for the ECW Championship heading into WrestleMania XXV. Mosh & Blade then asked if his release from the WWE was more of a mutual agreement, or if he thinks something went wrong that lead to it. Elijah then went on record and said there was nothing that went wrong, but what did not go right was the fact that he was not being used. He added that people will always use the “creative had nothing for the person,” but mentioned how he fought for everything he ever had — proving himself against guys like Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, & Sabu and holding his own against other veterans. He then said he was “on the sidelines” for awhile, after a story surfaced about being hit by a car, but was was later released. He went on to say, “But it’s not the end…it’s only the beginning.”

The Big Mosh mentioned a recent quote from Paul London’s interview on last Sunday night’s Wrestling Observer Live, where Paul stated about his WWE tenure, “It’s only a job…everybody get’s fired.” Mosh then asked Elijah for his thoughts about the quote & if he agrees with those sentiments/if they are true, considering superstars like Triple H, “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, & The Undertaker seem to have their jobs secured. Elijah said that he would have to agree with Paul, with regards to the fact that everybody does get fired, and added that all three of the names that Mosh mentioned have been fired at some point in their wrestling careers as well. He added that now, all three of those guys have earned their spots & respects all three for their work, as well as their advice that they gave him during his time in World Wrestling Entertainment.

In regards to any thoughts of whether or not other people should still be there even though he is not, Elijah said that “everybody has a role to play,” and it is their job to play that role. He added that whether or not he could run circles around a certain superstar has nothing to do with it, and that it is more of a business aspect as to who can “serve a better purpose.” As for rumors of people getting fired due to the economy, or “creative having nothing for them,” Elijah said that he can only speak for himself, and mentioned that if creative had anything for him, then he probably would have been used. Elijah then explained that there was “a lot going on” for him towards the beginning of 2008, with being taken off of TV & then returning, rumors of a face turn, and heading to RAW, among other things, which then turned to the story of events of not being used that ended with his release.

Blade asked Elijah if there were ever any times when he was not being used that he offered some ideas of his own to the WWE Creative Team. Elijah said that he is a “big fan of the phrase, ‘If it’s not broke…don’t fix it,” and said that if there was something wrong with the Elijah Burke character we saw on WWE television, then a change should have been made. He added that there were some back & forth discussions backstage, saying he is easy to work with & does whatever is asked of him, and it became a story of just waiting for the right time. Elijah then said that he believes he got lost in the shuffle after all of the “backstage changes” that occurred following an infamous Mark Henry incident, where WWE Creative Team members were switching back & forth between shows, “and the lights just started getting dimmer & dimmer.”

Blade then mentioned how the last he remembered reading about Elijah was that he was going to have a new gimmick with straight hair, carrying a goblet, & spitting blood. Elijah then went into detail about the character, stating that he calls himself “The Black Pope Of Wrestling” on his website, which “somebody got a hold of.” At the time, he was not being used, so they asked to see him as that character that night at the show, he went to a store to find a “pimp cup” & wrestled Funaki that night in the clothes he wore to the building. He added that there seemed to be some interest in it, but there were two different outlooks to what “The Black Pope” is, stating that it is just another name, not something that would involve him coming out to the arena wearing a Pope hat or a Pope robe.

Mosh then transitioned to talking about The New Breed vs. the ECW Originals feud back in 2007, since Elijah was the leader of The New Breed faction. Elijah said that at that time, he would have thought that most of the guys involved in that feud would still be competing in the WWE — but, looking back on it now, the only one still competing on a constant basis is Tommy Dreamer, with Matt Striker in his commentary role now. Elijah said that he believes he would have still been there, because he is a guy that was “always ready” & “always did what was asked..” He added that he always tried giving the fans everything that he could, stating that “although it sounds cliche,” he has been kicked in the mouth & kneed in the nose countless times, giving a shout out to Rob Van Dam for putting Elijah Burke on the map. After a brief history lesson of the Elijah Burke character before the Originals feud, he gave a shout out to “The Alpha Male” Marcus Cor Von (Monty Brown) as well, saying he loves & misses him, and they “still have some business to take care of.”

After some self-promotion & plugging his official website (www.TheElijahExpress.com), The Big Mosh said that Elijah could have a career in broadcasting after a plug like that on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network.. Elijah then said that is another reason why he does not know why he was released, because he could have contributed as much as he did in the ring either as a backstage interviewer or announcer. “Who knows,” he added, saying that he never did the independent wrestling scene before OVW/WWE, so he is still getting to experience a whole new avenue of wrestling — including recently getting his tights stolen in Philadelphia.

Mosh & Blade mentioned Elijah’s feud with CM Punk during his time in World Wrestling Entertainment & his recent success the past year, winning all three major titles on RAW, as well as his previous ECW Championship reign. Elijah had some pretty straightforward comments about CM Punk to follow…

“If I was the darling of the internet community like that young man, I probably would’ve been a multi-time champion by now too. I expected CM Punk, and I thought that the culmination of our feud would’ve given both of us a reign by then because at that time, we were ECW, every night, and when they didn’t have anything for either of us to fall back on, they had CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke. So, I thought by the time our feud came to an end, both of us would’ve had a reign between us. Did I expect CM Punk to become World Champion? That never crossed my mind. I’m glad that he did…That was a barrier-breaker.”

Mosh asked Elijah for his thoughts & comments on the Academy-Award nominated Mick Rourke film, “The Wrestler,” to which Elijah said that his thoughts are available on his official website (www.TheElijahExpress.com). To save The Mayhem their troubles, Elijah goes onto his website & read exactly what he wrote…word-for-word. For anybody that has not read Elijah ‘s review yet, it is much different from any other review that is online, and we will just say that if he were a member of award nominations, “The Wrestler” would not be held in such high praise. “Comparing Mickey Rourke’s charisma to that of Braden Walker” is only the beginning of Elijah’s thoughts on the Golden Globe-winning movie. He did say, however, that he supports & likes the movie, because it gives the outside world a chance to see the world of professional wrestling.

The Mayhem Crew then asked Elijah for what he has planned in his infamous “future endeavors,” stemming from rumors circulating that he has been in discussions with TNA, or the other option of Ring Of Honor as well. Elijah’s answer was as straightforward as it can be. “Wherever it makes the most sense…Period.” Elijah said that he watches TNA, “like everybody, but they just don’t admit it,” saying that he watches for Sting, “the last remaining NWA-era legend still on a national level.” Former WWE Head Of Security, Jimmy Noonan (who called in to wish The Mayhem a happy seven-year anniversary) asked if Elijah would be interested in getting into the UFC or another MMA promotion, based on the success of his pre-wrestling boxing career. Elijah had another straightforward answer. “I’m not that dumb.”

More is contained in this hour-long exclusive interview with “Your Host Of Hosts,” including: a history lesson on how Elijah Burke went from manager (of Sylvester Terkay) to wrestler in the WWE, what December he doesn’t remember & why it came across so bad, what it takes to become a champion, Tommy Dreamer’s WWE in-ring future, & why did the former President Of WCW/former WWE RAW General Manager, Eric Bischoff, call into The Mayhem in the last few minutes of Elijah’s MNM interview? You have to tune in to find out!

In case you already don’t know where to head to, “The Black Pope” strongly encourages all of his fans across the world to check out his official website, located at www.TheElijahExpress..com, where you can take part in live, interactive chats with Elijah himself & find out the latest on Elijah’s upcoming appearances/events. In addition, log onto the official MySpace page of the self-professed “Silver?Tongued Pugilist!” Simply head on over to www.MySpace.com/ElijahBurke1FanSite.

The Big Mosh & Blade (on behalf of The Mayhem Crew past & present) would like to thank all of our fans across the world for your continued loyalty, support, & dedication to Monday Night Mayhem for seven+ years. More is in store for our new 2009 campaign. Think you’ve heard it all on “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio?” You’ve seen nothing yet!